On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 11.30 a.m., Joseph Gallivan interviews Julia Dolan of the Portland Art Museum about “David Hockney: Works from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation”.
Curator Dolan talks about how Hockney emerged from Swinging London in the 1960s to find his spiritual home in Los Angeles, his relative strengths as a draftsman, photographer and painter, and how his restless imagination led him to explore aesthetic tools from the camera obscura to iPad drawing programs. David Hockney is 88.
Questions to ponder:
1. Do prints do justice to Hockney’s 21st Century work?
2. Does he spend too much energy investigating artistic technique, over the emotional content of his work?
3. What if he had moved to Portland instead of Los Angeles?
4. Will he be remembered as a draftsman or something else?
5. Is there another European artist who deserves this kind of show in Portland? Who would you like to see?
From the press release:
In spring and summer 2026, the Portland Art Museum presents David Hockney: Works from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, celebrating one of the most influential artists of our time. The vibrant exhibition, on view February 14 – July 26, 2026, is the largest North American survey exhibition of Hockney’s work, with more than 200 colorful prints, collages, video, and photographic and iPad drawings spanning six decades of the artist’s career.
Best known for vivid scenes that highlight his passion for both the natural world and human connection, visitors will experience a stunning array of dimensions and media that underscore Hockney’s innovative experiments. Included are his iconic subjects and series—California swimming pools, the monumental Yosemite, and British landscapes in full bloom, as well as intimate portrayals of friends, family, and queer desire.
“Hockney’s colorful, fresh perspectives encourage us to reconsider everyday objects, faces, and places of our rapidly changing contemporary world in whimsical new ways,” said Catherine Whitney, Honolulu Museum of Art Director of Curatorial Affairs and exhibition consulting curator.
Highlighting some of Hockney’s most celebrated pieces, David Hockney: Works from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation sheds light on the artist’s process, driven by his fascination with technology as a channel for both artistic creation and human connection. In a pursuit to better understand how artists translate visual perception, Hockney has explored historical modes of representation, including the expansive spaces of traditional Chinese scrolls, the condensed dimensionality of Cubism, and the linear perspective of the Italian Renaissance, as well as optical devices like mirrors and the camera obscura. He also takes inspiration from the continual advancement of modern technology to evolve his approach and visual vocabulary, utilizing tools such as copy machines, photo editing software, iPhones, and iPads.
“To many, David Hockney is the most important artist working today. His images take us on a journey through country roads and gardens and let us view his exploration of perspective. More than any other artist, he has used technology to create art,” said ARTnews Top 200 Collector Jordan Schnitzer. “Whether it was Xerox prints, Polaroid photographs, or on the iPad, Hockney’s eye and hand create some of the most intriguing and beautiful art ever made!”
Hockney’s ability to engage deeply with an ever-changing world invites viewers to reconsider ideas of relationships versus solitude, spectacle versus reality, and tradition versus technology. A highlight of the exhibition is a 2014 photographic series that demonstrates an innovative approach involving “reversed perspective,” in which the spectator’s view is tightly focused on the foreground of an image, rather than upon a far-off vanishing point. Multiple angles and equally sharp viewpoints converge simultaneously to visually simulate the experience of moving through space and time.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation on this impressive exhibition of David Hockney’s work,” said Portland Art Museum Director Brian Ferriso. “We are excited for visitors to experience the artist’s vibrant style, subject matter, and perspective shifts in the newly renovated and expanded museum.”
Organized by Catherine Whitney, Honolulu Museum of Art Director of Curatorial Affairs.
https://portlandartmuseum.org/event/david-hockney/
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Joseph Gallivan has been a reporter since 1990. He has covered music for the London Independent, Technology for the New York Post, and arts and culture for the Portland Tribune and for Axios Portland. He is the author of two novels, "Oi, Ref!" and "England All Over" which are available lightly used.
He is a TriMet bus operator. Smile and say hello on the 17, but please stay behind the yellow line.